by Christina Waters | Dec 5, 2011 | Home, Movies |
I thought I was going to see George Clooney win an Oscar. I didn’t. He won’t. But The Descendants stayed with me and continued to spin out and unfurl deep-tissue feelings and puzzles and bits of beauty long after I left The Nick last weekend and headed out into the blustery twilight.
The camera loves Clooney almost as much as it loved Marilyn Monroe. There simply are no bad angles on this beautiful man. And while it’s clear he can hold the center of a film, he does so by sleight of hand. He is a quiet vortex around which all of the action, the drama, the storming and revelation takes place. Somehow his winning features—the thoughtful brow, the sensitive facial muscles, the glowing eyes, the gorgeous legs—get close to the point, but never quite land on it.
He doesn’t convince me, even though his character—an Hawaiian heir to a huge land trust, with two out-of-control young daughters and a dying wife—did.
by Christina Waters | Dec 1, 2011 | Home, Wine |
From Birichino comes this wide open bouquet of spices, pepper and black cherries, Grenache Vielles Vignes 2010, Central Coast. At 13.5% alc. it moves all those bright fruit flavors deep into the center of your palate.
The brilliant cherry red wine spreads out horizontally and persists all the way to the end—to the end of that pork loin roast, or pizza, or cheese platter.
Retailing in the $15-$16 ballpark, this lovely wine (perfect for the holidays) is loaded with character and immediate appeal. Look for it at Soif, New Leaf and other enlightened wine shops.
by Christina Waters | Nov 30, 2011 | Home |
Avanti owner Paul Geise admits that long-time customers are getting restless about making sure they dine at the familiar landmark Ristorante Avanti at least once more before it closes. “But that won’t happen until next year,” the owner admitted. “There’s just so much to do and everything takes more time than you think.”
So yes you will be able to dine at the familiar Avanti space throughout the holidays. Geise projects a possible February opening for the new location. “But we won’t close this restaurant until the new one is open.”
by Christina Waters | Nov 30, 2011 | Food, Holidays, Home |
This was how the Magdalene must have felt, anointing the body with precious spices and elixirs, carefully wrapping it in clean linens before placing it in the cool dark place where it would wait—preserved and guarded—until its ultimate appointment with destiny.
As I watched my fruitcakes slowly cooling on their racks, the mythic significance suddenly hit me. Since the dawn of time, women’s hands had carefully wrapped such precious bodies—in some cases a dead loved one, in others a symbolic cake—the bearer of costly ingredients, memories and hopes for the future.
All such creations were intended to undergo a transformation. To wait until the moment when they would grace the center of the ceremonial table. I considered how many hearths, through how many centuries, had witnessed this preparation.
Mixing the ingredients of two bowls (there was just too much to manage in a single bowl) laden with chopped figs, (more…)
by Christina Waters | Nov 28, 2011 | Food, Home |
David Kinch – guru-in-charge of Manresa.
Read the GQ piece here.
Kudos David!
